Alone Again
by Asha Childly
Summary: Previously named Left Behind. When the flock left the Virginia school, they left many people behind. What happened to these people? I'm here to tell you exactly what! Rated for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to _Left Behind_. Sorry it's a lame name :( I couldn't think of something better. Anyway, I'm glad you picked this story. If you enjoy this, you should check out my profile, where I have…three other MR stories (Sorry, I had to think of how many I've written). Also, if you have time, check out my poll. But for now, enjoy the story! Your feedback is always very appreciated.**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

**SPOV**

I sat on the roof of my family's barn, tossing rocks into the woods. It was a dangerous thing to do, especially since I had to throw them over my house to get them into the woods. If I hit a window, or even one of the walls, Mom would kill me. But I didn't care.

To be honest, I was heartbroken. And I didn't know what to do with myself. I just felt so…alone. So apart from the rest of the world. I'd given her my heart, and she'd crushed it. She hadn't even trusted me when I'd tried to save her life.

Kay, so maybe I haven't exactly started out right. You probably think I'm just a big whiney geek, but usually I'm not. I'm actually a pretty cool guy, not to brag or anything. Still, my head was just not in the right place. I felt so hurt and I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

Oh! Right. I need to introduce myself. My name's Sam. I live in Virginia, USA. And that girl I'm talking about? That's Max Ride. I was in love with her, and she walked all over me. Literally. And after that, she disappeared. I haven't seen her since our teachers started attacking us.

And man, did I miss her.

I tossed another rock over the house. I jumped and nearly fell off the barn roof when someone shouted up at me.

"Sam!" It was my mother. There was no hiding now, not on top of the roof. Plus, she'd already seen me. Nonetheless, I ducked down.

"Yes, Mother?" I called back.

"Sam, get down here right now!" she hollered. "And stop throwing those rocks at my house!"

"Yes, mother," I sighed, climbing back down the roof and into the window. I jogged down the stairs through the barn and out toward the house. When I reached my mother, she scowled at me.

"What on Earth do you think you were doing?" she demanded. I tore my gave away from her.

"Nothing," I said. I walked past her into the house. But my mom was the last person I wanted to ease my heartache.

At least I thought so, until I went inside.

"Hey, Sammy," my older sister, Emily, cooed. I tried to cover my sorrowful look, but she caught me. "Wassa matter?"

I really did not want to talk to Emily about this.

"Nothing, Em," I said. Emily pouted mockingly at me.

"C'mon, you can trust me," she said. I rolled my eyes. Yeah right.

"Not now, Emily," I said, waving her off. I walked toward the stairs and headed up to my room. I closed the door behind me and locked it, flopping down on my bed. Just as I did, the phone on my table rang. I groaned and reached for it.

"H'lo?" I mumbled.

"Hey, Sam," J.J., my friend, answered. She was quiet for a moment. I figured she was thinking. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

J.J. sighed. "Are you still whining about Max?" she asked. I bit my lip.

"What's it to you?" I muttered cynically.

"Fine, Mr. Bitterbutt," she scoffed. "Anyway, Tess and I are going to a movie. We were wondering if you wanted to join us." She sighed dramatically. "Of course, if you're too miserable…"

"I am _not _miserable!" I shouted at the phone.

I could hear J.J.'s smirk. "Sure you're not. So are you coming?"

I sighed. It was useless to fight J.J. And it's not like I had anything better to do. It was no use locking myself in my room and sulking.

J.J. seemed to read my mind. "If you get out, you'll get over it." She paused. "And, you might meet another girl~" she added in a sing-songy voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll come," I sighed.

"Great!" she said. "We'll meet you at your place in a few."

I hung up and rolled off my bed. I walked back down the stairs and through the living room to the front door. I grabbed my jacket off the hook and slipped into it. "Mom!" I called. "I'm going to a movie with Tess and J.J."

Mom walked into the doorway. She was drying her hands on a dish towel. "Alright," she said, smiling warmly. Looking out into space, she added, "I don't know why that poor girl insists on being called J.J. Jennifer Joy is such a lovely name."

I shrugged and walked out the door. I sat on the doorstep. I didn't expect J.J. and Tess for about twenty minutes. Waiting there, I was unable to think of anything but Max. I missed her so much. And I wasn't mad at her for leaving me. I was mad at myself. Because she hadn't been able to trust me, because I'd let her go…

"Sam!" Tess called, breaking my train of thought. "Hey! How are you!"

J.J. and Tess ran at me. Tess hugged me. She was at least three inches taller than me. "Are you okay?"

I rolled my eyes, refusing to return the hug. "I'm fine," I assured her. She stepped back, holding my shoulders.

"You poor, poor thing," she fussed.

"Aren't you upset?" Sam asked her. "You were totally into that Jeff kid."

"Yeah," she sighed mournfully. She flipped back to her previous fussy self. "But you actually were dating her. That's worse."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Can we stop talking about Max and just go see the movie?"

"Sure," Tess said. She patted me on the shoulder. We walked toward J.J. and out down my extremely long driveway. J.J.'s mom was waiting in her minivan for us. She smiled warmly when we walked into sight.

"Sam!" she said when I yanked open the door. "It's been a while since I've seen you! How are you doing?"

I smiled back, but it wasn't as genuine as hers. "I'm fine, thanks." She was such a nice woman, it was hard not to be happy around her.

"So, what movie are you kids planning on seeing?"

J.J. grinned sadistically. "Something really gory with lots of blood and chainsaws!" she said eagerly, wringing her hands evilly. Her mother pinched up her nose in disgust. J.J. laughed. "Mom, I'm only kidding. We're going to see _Pirates of the Caribbean 2_. We _were_ going to see _The Break Up_, but Tess and I thought that was a little too…ironic." **(A/N These movies legit came out the same year as School's Out Forever [And within a month of each other! Bonus!]. I kind of assumed that it was set at the same time it came out [bad assumption.] but whateves.)**

Tess pouted beside me. "I can't believe we're gonna miss that."

"Oh, chillax, Tess, my friend," J.J. said. "We'll go see it when our poor Sam is a little less heartbroken."

I glared at her. "I'm _not_ heartbroken!" I shouted. I was as shocked as the others by my outburst. I guess I was so fed up with them calling me that that I just snapped a little. "S-sorry," I muttered after.

"That's alright, Sam," J.J.'s mother said. She kept glancing sideways at her daughter. "Jennifer was being a bit of a pest."

J.J.'s jaw dropped at her mother's statement but, for a change, she stayed quiet. So did everyone else. No one said a word until we reached the theatre. We climbed out of the car, giving J.J.'s mom our thanks. We bought our tickets and snacks and went into the theatre to grab our seats. We found good ones right in the middle. The show was just about to start when another figure came rushing into the theatre. They sat down in the spot right next to us. They were breathing heavily from running.

"Hey, guys," they panted.

"Lissa?" J.J. said disbelievingly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to go see _The Break Up_ but then I saw you people in here and I decided to join you!"

"But…you don't like us," I noted.

Lissa stuck her nose up. "Yes, but it's not like there's anyone more interesting than you to hang around," she said haughtily. "Not since Nick and his family skipped town."

The three of us slumped back in our seats. "Whatever," I mumbled. Unfortunately she'd decided the seat next to me was the best. As soon as the movie started, she leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, just as I had feared.

"_Wow, he's so hot," _she crooned.

And just when I thought this couldn't get any worse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hullo! Happy Easter Monday folks! Still eating chocolate (at ten in the morning, no less ;]) So, I'm sorry to those of you who thought this was unrealistic. All I have to say to you is poetic licence. Thanks. But I'm sorry you didn't enjoy my previous chapter. Maybe you'll like this one better.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

**SPOV**

Sitting next to Lissa that whole movie, I honestly thought either I was going to kill her or she was going to kill me; Most likely unintentionally, what with her constant nattering. One or the other. Somehow, though, all four of us made it out alive. Lissa chattered the whole way out of the theatre and into the driveway until we reached J.J.'s mother's car. She smiled out the window at Lissa.

"Lissa dear," she said warmly. "It's been so long! Do you need a ride?"

I tensed in horror. _Please say no_, I begged her silently. I couldn't spend another moment with that girl.

Lissa smiled. "No, thank you. I have someone picking me up." Her tone matched her bittersweet face. "I appreciate the offer, though."

"We'll alright," J.J.'s mother said. Tess, J.J., and I strapped ourselves in and we drove off toward my house.

"So," J.J.'s mother said after a moment of silence. "How was the movie?"

"It was fine," J.J. answered.

Tess, looking dreamily out her window, added, "Orlando Bloom is _sooo_ gorgeous."

J.J. laughed. "Pshaw!" she exclaimed. "Johnny Depp is _way_ cooler."

"What!" Tess shrieked. I listened to them bicker back and forth most of the way home. It was almost worse than Lissa's running commentary on the movie.

"Ladies, ladies," J.J.'s mother laughed. "You're going to drive poor Sam insane.

"Thanks," I muttered distractedly. My thoughts were a million miles from what the girls were talking about, and a million miles away from the car we were sitting in, and even a million miles away from my own body. I was still thinking about Max, but not as much how she'd rejected me. This whole moping about was not getting me anywhere. Plus it was way out of character. I at least had to perk up a bit, or J.J. and Tess would probably just give up on me.

We pulled up in front of my driveway a minute later. I smiled at J.J.'s mom without really trying and thanked her for the ride, then hopped out of the car and headed down for my driveway. I walked in the house and kicked off my shoes onto the mat before walking toward the stairs. I longed to get to my bedroom and just figure out how to fix up my act. I jumped when someone spoke to me.

"Sam," my dad said flatly. "Don't mope. It's bad for your posture."

I straightened up, as I always did when he said something about my posture. I hazarded a glance at him. My father was an older man, fifty-something I think. His hair was grey, but it really just made him look more experienced, not old. He was at least 6'5" and very widely built. He still wore his suit. He almost always wore a suit.

Come to think of it, I don't think I'd ever seen him _not_ wearing a suit.

"Sorry, Dad," I said. He smiled at me and folded up his paper.

"What's the matter, son?" he asked me. I bit my lip, debating whether or not to tell him what was really bothering me. Better him than anyone else…he was a guy. At least he had a chance of understanding.

"Well, there's this girl," I started. Cliché, I know. I beg your forgiveness. My dad sighed and sat back, settling in for what he probably expected to be a long story full of sighs. I sat down in the arm chair across from him.

"We were sort of…dating, and, well, she — a couple months ago she…took off with her family. Y'know, when the school went crazy?" Not exactly a great start. I paused, not sure where to go next. That was only half of my troubles. There was still the matter of her not trusting me. I sighed and gave my best shot at making it make sense. "She was kind of…paranoid. So, I tried to help them — her and her siblings, that is — but she thought I was one of them — by _them_ I mean the bad guys — and — literally — ran me over."

My dad was silent for a minute, sorting out everything I'd just told him. Finally, he said, "Well, son, sometimes it takes a while to get someone to trust you. And you only knew her for, what? A week?" I blushed slightly. He had a point. "And anyway, a lot of the kids at that school were a little nuts weren't they?"

"No!" I said automatically. "J.J. and Tess weren't —_aren't_ crazy!"

"Sam?" my mother called. "Is that you?" I sighed. I hated it when she interrupted me. She did that a lot.

"Yeah, Mom," I called back. She walked into the living room and smiled at me.

"How was the movie, sweetheart?" she asked. I shrugged.

"Fine," I said.

"Well, that's good, honey." She smiled again and walked out to return to whatever she had been doing.

I looked at my dad awkwardly. We never really had long conversations and when we did, they usually ended in silence. Long silence.

"Well, uh, I'm, er, going to bed, then," I said uncomfortably. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Sam," my dad said. He opened up his paper again. I jogged up the stairs and into my room where I flopped down flat on my back. My bed let out a horrible squeak as I did.

"You know," an ominous voice said from the other side of my room, "you're really expecting too much of this ex-girlfriend of yours."

I let out a girly and unfortunate scream, frightening away all traces of manliness from my body. "Oh. My. God. Emily get out of my room!" I shrieked. She shrugged in the semi-darkness.

"I'm just saying," she said with a nonchalant flip of her hand. "Maybe you just thought she liked you more than she did."

"I don't want your advice," I moaned, covering my head with a pillow.

"Fine," she sneered. She padded to the door, but she paused in the doorway. "Just remember," she added, faking maternal concern. "You can always talk to me."

"Get out, Emily," I snarled and threw the pillow at her. Emily shrieked playfully and slammed the door shut.

I couldn't stand my sisters. They really made my life miserable. Thank God two of them had moved out. I don't know if I could stand all three again permanently. It was hard enough on holidays.

That was beside the point though. I had to make a decision and make it fast. How was I going to get over Max?

I wasn't sure yet, but I knew that I would do it even if it was the last thing I ever did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy May 2/4 weekend to my (very few, as I've discovered) fellow Canadian readers! Hope you've got some fireworks as cool as I do wherever the heck you are! This chapter's a little more intense than some of the previous one's I've written. It really gives you an inside look at Lissa's inner thoughts (they're not all to happy .) Sorry if you always thought she was a total bitch and I'm doing a terrible job of portraying her. I used to think so, too, until I really tried to get inside of her, and I realized, "Hey, she's not all bad, just a little lonely and stuff…" So, anywho, enjoy the story ;)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

LPOV

Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday was therapy. My parents were severely strict (and a little crazy) about it, too. If they could have had it their way, I would have had a session on Sunday or Monday, too, because they were worried about me going two days straight without one. Personally, I didn't want to talk to anybody, mostly because I had nothing to talk to them about. I didn't have any problems, there was nothing wrong with me. But my parents "wouldn't have any of it." No matter who it came from.

Anyway, that's where I was now. In the therapy office, with my therapist, in complete silence.

Finally, Dr. Masterson (she always insisted I call her Candice, but I still called her Dr. Masterson in my head) cleared her throat. "So," she said, looking around the room awkwardly, "is there anything you want to talk about today, Lissa?"

"No," I said sourly. I hated being here. I didn't want to talk to anyone about anything.

"Lissa, do you remember why you started seeing me?"

"_I_ didn't start seeing you," I corrected firmly. "My parents started sending me here. The only person seeing you for anything is my parents for their obsessive compulsive disorders."

Dr. Masterson sighed again. She did that a lot when I went there for my "sessions." She went on, despite the fact that I wasn't looking at her. "Anyway, do you remember why you're parents sent you here?"

"Because they think my head's going to suddenly implode after 'the incident with the school'." I said the last part sarcastically. "Oh, and they were freaking out because me and Nick kinda broke up, I guess." I looked sternly at Dr. Masterson. "That head-blowing-up thing? That's _not_ going to happen, by the way."

"Yes, well, what happened to you with your school was very serious," Dr. Masterson said. "It was a rational decision for your parents to decide that perhaps you needed to talk to somebody."

"Against my will?" I demanded.

Again, Dr. Masterson sighed. "Lissa, nobody's trying to force you into anything."

"And that's why I have to see you three times every week for an hour," I muttered, sarcasm dripping from my every word. "All we ever do is sit and silence! I don't want to be here!" I stood up. "My parents are the only ones who have anything worth seeing you for. And let's face it! You just keep me here because they keep forking cash over to you! You're nothing but a phony whore who tortures people for money!"

"Lissa!" she shouted. I stormed over to the door and ran out. She shouted out the door after me, but I was already gone. I didn't know where I was going, but it wasn't back there, and it wasn't home.

For a while, I just ran and ran through streets, looking for something familiar. I'd eventually exhausted every part of my body. My legs felt like jell-o and refused to be walked on. Each breath I took was a hungry pant, and it burned in my chest and throat. I felt lost and alone. With my parents, who hardly ever had time for me, I had always felt alone. But this was a new kind of alone, which I had never experienced. This was the kind of alone that made you feel like you'd never be within arm's reach of another human being for the rest of your life and a day. The kind that made you feel like you were so lost, you could just as well have been stuck on Pluto, you'd be no closer to home. The kind that makes your throat feel tight and your eyes burn, until there's nothing left to do but just cry.

And that was exactly what I did.

I hope you won't think less of me because of it, or wonder if I'm just another posh heroine who depends on anyone and everyone in sight, and can make no decent decisions for herself. Of course, it's not like I'm displaying any proof that I can. Please keep in mind that I was exhausted, I was parched, and I didn't know where I could go. In fact, I realized quite soon that the only place I could go was farther away from where I was.

At this point, I was in the middle of nowhere. All around me, there was nothing but fields and pine forests. I continued walking, gasping between sobs. The road was nothing but dirt and small stones. I tripped over bumps and after a while had skinned virtually every part of my lower legs.

To keep going, I thought about my parents, and what lousy caretakers they had always been. I could take care of myself better than they could take care of me. _Thank God I don't have any siblings,_ I thought idly. _Only one human being has to suffer this way at their hands. _Soon, I had forgotten how tired I was, and had nearly suppressed my thirst. Everything I'd felt was covered up by my determination to keep moving, whether or not I knew where I was going. After a while, I had nearly forgotten what I was walking away from. I was just too busy remembering to keep doing it.

But unfortunately, even determination of that degree can't last forever. I started to regain the feeling in my legs, and it wasn't a relief. They burned from all the strain they'd been put through, my throat was so dry I could hardly swallow, not that I needed to, because I was scarcely producing any saliva. Finally, there was nothing I could do but collapse to the ground. I could feel the hot summer sun beating down on my back. It wasn't very long before the merciful arms of sleep (or heat exhaustion, or death, it was hard to say at that point, and either way I didn't really care so long as it made me stop hurting) wrapped me in their tender, painless embrace and pulled me into their dark, mysterious depths.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey there valued readers. Sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever, but I literally did **_**NOTHING**_** over the summer but chill out. But have no fear! I recently got a blackberry and I found out how to work on all my stories on it! It's like a laptop only even **_**more**_** portable! So expect a lot more work on the way!**

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

SPOV

"Sam!" my mother called. I walked lazily into the kitchen.

"Yeah?" I said when I rounded the corner. My mom dropped a black bag at my feet.

"Will you take this out to the road to be picked up?"

I picked up the bag and slung it over my shoulder, slipped on my running shoes and prepared for the trek up my driveway. I stepped through the door, jumped on my board, and headed up the road. I felt bad for my parents and friends. I hadn't been myself lately. I was usually a pretty fun person to be around. But since she had left, I'd become someone totally different, and I didn't really like him.

My inner turmoil had helped pass the time, and before I knew it, I was at the road. It always felt weird going from the drive to the road. On my driveway, I was surrounded by trees and forestry. When I reached the road, I was confronted by fields of currently dead crops. I dropped the bag on the ground and turned to go when I saw something in the middle of the road several yards away. I was pretty sure it was alive, or had been, at least. Probably another deer. I headed toward it to move it off the road when I realized it was the wrong shape for a deer. As I got close to it, I realized it was a person. I jumped and broke into a sprint. I rolled the person onto her side and suppressed a scream.

It was Lissa.

I tried to shake her awake, but she didn't budge. I put my fingers on her wrist. I found her pulse, finally, but it was slow. She was very dehydrated. I took her in my arms and thanked God she was so light. I hopped back on my board and took off down the drive.

When I arrived at my house a few minutes later, I jumped off my moving board and threw the screen door open. My mom was in the living room watching daytime TV.

"Mom!" I shouted when I got in the house. I ran down the hall and into the living room. She looked up in surprise and saw Lissa in my arms.

"Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. I found her like this out on the road," I explained. "She's dehydrated."

My mom stood up and told me to put her on the couch. I laid her down as carefully as I could. I knew that my mom would know what to do. She was a nurse, but she only worked evenings.

She felt Lissa's neck, checking for a pulse, as I had. She put her ear near Lissa's mouth, listening to her breathing. When she was satisfied, she walked off down the hall and came back with a glass of something.

"Hold her up," my mom told me. I did. Mom held the glass to her lips and gently let the liquid trickle down her throat. Finally, Lissa stirred slightly. She grabbed the glass from my mother's hands and began to drink greedily. Mom jumped, and from the way her eyes bugged with panic, I could tell that this wasn't good. I took the glass out of her hands and she opened her eyes for the first time since I'd seen her last. She realized it was me who was holding her. I met her eyes for a moment, then looked away awkwardly, still holding her up.

"Lissa, dear," my mom said slowly, as if talking to a child, "how are you feeling."

Lissa turned from looking at me to looking at my mom.

"Mrs. Wyse!" she exclaimed, then turned back to me. "Sam! What am I...what are you doing here?"

I resisted the urge to answer sarcastically and said, "This is my house."

Lissa looked dumbstruck. "Oh, okay, the what am _I _doing here?"

"I found you on the road at the end of my driveway. You were unconscious," I told her. "I brought you back here."

"What happened?" my mom asked. Lissa stared off again.

"I don't really remember..." she muttered. Then her eyes widened, as if everything was coming back to her at once. Then, she turned to me and my mother in turn. "You can't take me back there!" she exclaimed desperately. My mother looked confused.

"Back where?" she asked Lissa turned, her eyes now tearing.

"Back home!" she said "I...I ran away."

"Why on earth would you run away?" my mom asked, bewildered.

"I couldn't take my parents' constant fear that I would go into shock," she confessed. She sounded very frustrated. "Ever since that incident with the school, I've constantly been forced into therapy just so my parents, who hardly even spend any time with me anyway, can sleep better, allowing themselves to believe that I'm not going to kill myself overnight." She paused a moment and took a few breaths, then looked accusingly at my mother. "You're not going to turn me in, are you?"

"No," my mother answered calmly.

"Okay. I just need some time away from it all," Lissa said. "It's just so stressful sometimes, you know?"

"I understand," my mom agreed, "but I do want you to contact your parents, at least contact your parents and let them know that you're okay."

Lissa looked hesitant, but finally sighed and said, "Okay."

She pulled out her phone, punched in the number, and held it to her ear. After a few rings, someone picked up.

"Hi, Mom," she said. "Yes, I'm fine. No, I'm not coming home! Because I'm sick of the way I'm treated! Look, Mom. I just need a break, okay? I'm with a friend. Yes, I asked if it was okay with their parents! I'm not a little kid, Mom! Goodbye, Mom."

On that note, she flipped the phone shut and shoved it in her pocket. My mom smiled sadly.

"Well, that sounded like it went over well..." She looked Lissa over. You're covered in dirt. Why don't you go take a shower? Sam will show you around."

I looked up when I heard my name and tried to remember what the context had been. I'd caught "show" and "around" and "shower," so I figured I was showing her the bathroom.

"Yeah, sure. Follow me," I said. I stood up and headed up the stairs. Lissa was close behind me. I pushed through the door to the bathroom, but not before I was stopped by my sister.

"Hey, Sammy," Emily said as she strolled out of her room. She noticed Lissa and looked her over.

"Who's the girl...and where are you going with her?"

"This is Lissa. You know Lissa," I reminded her, trying not to embarrass myself in front of her. "I'm showing her around the washroom so she can take a shower."

"Okay..." Emily said, grinning coyly. "Just don't do anything you wouldn't do if your parents were watching!"

She walked off, giggling to herself. I turned to Lissa. "That's my sister, Emily. Pay no attention to her." I continued toward the bathroom and pulled the door open. I gestured her inside. "Towels are here, soap's in the shower, right on the wall." I pulled the curtain across the shower rod. Behind it were three walls, each completely covered in different hair products. "The wall on the right here is all shampoo-and-conditioner, top being moisturizing, middle is volumizing, and then the bottom is shine, with a couple of repairing serums at the end." I gestured to the other walls. "The others follow a similar pattern. Conditioners on the left and shampoos in the middle."

I turned to Lissa. She looked slightly astonished. "Are these your sister's?"

"Um, no," I said, my cheeks burning slightly. "They're mostly...mine."

Lissa grinned, and I tried to think of something else to change the subject. "Do you need more clothes? You could probably borrow some from my sister."

"I'm alright, thanks," she said.

"Are you sure?" I asked again. Lissa seemed to pause and consider it for another moment.

"Actually," she said slowly, "maybe...yeah, if your sister doesn't mind."

"Okay," I said finally. "Um, you can get started. I'll go find something and bring it in for you."

Lissa smiled widely. "Okay, great. Thanks a lot."

I headed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind me. "Hey Emily!" I shouted loudly enough that if she were anywhere within a mile of the house she would have heard me. It was a tactic I'd learned from dinners with the whole family, in which case you needed to be that loud just to be heard at all.

After a minute, I was preparing to yell again when another voice boomed up the stairs, "What'd'ya want?"

"I need to borrow some clothes!"

There was a loud sigh, followed by footsteps bounding up the stairs. Emily turned the corner and looked me over. Then she grinned ear to ear.

"I don't mean to squelch your eagerness, but that'd be quite the fashion statement."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be stupid. They're not for me," I said. I jerked my head toward the bathroom door. "They're for Lissa."

"Um, yeah, she could borrow my clothes I guess," Emily agreed. "But for her sake, you'd better let me go look."

She didn't give me a chance to make a smart retort before turning toward her bedroom.


End file.
